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Logline: On a world where no one conquered North America, which is a third world country, the sliders land on American Indian land and try to survive with a culture barrier. With two sliders captured by a savage race, the others race against time to rescue them, before they are killed off or unable to slide out before the wormhole closes.

Episode 7: American Natives

Starring: Charlie O’Connell, Robert Floyd, Alicia Witt, Tembi Locke, Nicholas Lea, and John Haymes Newton as Joel Douglas

Guest Starring: Nick Ramus as Chief Red-Crow, Emmanuelle Vaugier as Lakota, Larry Sellers as Flies Like A Bird, and Michael Greyeyes as Hawkeye

Synopsis: As the sliders are pushing a red pick up truck down the road, the sliders are whining about how heavy the vehicle was to push. Mallory, who is by the driver side, tells the others that they need to get the truck back to the dealership so they can get their deposit back. Diana tells Mallory that the next time they land on a world where the economy is having an inflation, they should consider walking, instead of renting a vehicle to take them around. The group finally see a gas station up ahead, with Joel stating they were almost to a gas station to fill up and they could get on their way back to the dealership. Ryan, who is in the back pushing, looks at the timer, which he is holding, states that they may not make it back to the dealership, since they only have three more minutes to go before the vortex opens. Wade and Colin show a sign of relief, with Colin stating that at least they had a better way to travel, instead of pushing a truck with no gas for 4 miles. Mallory tells the others to stop pushing and tells Diana that she is right and promises to never rent a car in an inflated state of an economy. The sliders get to the back with Ryan, but then the truck starts to roll down the road itself and as it speeds up, with it ending up going into a lake, where a couple fishermen were about to get out at, but they luckily got out of the way in time to miss the truck. Mallory yells out an apology, but he soon notices the boat had tipped over in the water, getting the men wet. Mallory looks to Diana, stating that he usually tries to screw something up every once in a while on some of the worlds they visit; Diana tells Mallory that maybe from now on he could wear a straight jacket and just let the rest of them do things without causing chaos or lawsuits. Mallory states that the one world they visited dropped the case, since he was considered mentally disturbed by telling people he was from another world, and they saved him before going to the insane asylum in order to slide to the next world.

The vortex opens up on a grassy hill, with the group being tossed out one by one. After the portal closes, the group stands, with them noticing nothing but country side. Mallory suggests that maybe they have returned to Colin’s homeworld, known as amish world. Colin tells Mallory that even if they did, he wasn’t going to plan on staying, since the people of his world didn’t particularly care for his scientific breakthroughs. Ryan states that they slide in 4 days, so they should get moving and hopefully find signs of civilization. As the sliders enter into a part of the woods, the sliders are suddenly surprised when two groups of people come charging their way. Colin yells out to get out of the way, with Wade and Colin going left and the others going right to both hide behind some trees. The groups are fighting each other with some using bows and arrows and others using tomahawks on each other. A couple of men arrive close to Colin and Wade and before the two can join the other sliders, they are captured and are taken away. Joel notices the two being taken away, but before Joel can take off running, an arrow flies right past his head, with Mallory pushing him down to the ground. Mallory tells Joel he was lucky this time, since he doesn’t notice any short supply of arrows. The groups soon end their war and go their separate ways, retreating in the directions they arrived. A woman arrives close to the sliders, with her yelling out to a few others in her native tongue and then five men show up, holding bows and arrows on the group. The sliders are forced to stand up and taken along back to the camp.

Wade and Colin are forced into a teepee with a short, thin man, better known as the chief, looking at them and asking them where they came from. Colin looks confused, asking the chief how he understood the english language. The chief states his Canadian counterparts have taught him, but his tribe isn’t like most native tribes in the area who prefer not to speak the English language. Wade asks what the war was for that they ran into. The chief states that they would be filled in later and calls a man in, named Hawkeye, with him entering and the chief telling him to take the two to another teepee to be kept in, until he decides what to do with them. Hawkeye tells the chief, calling him Chief Red-Crow, that he will have great pleasure to torture their guests. Wade and Colin are forced out of the teepee, with being pulled by a rope that is surrounding them. Hawkeye stops to speak with another man, using his native tongue and then proceeds to a teepee where he opens it and tells the two to enter, or be forced in. Wade and Colin enter, but not before the rope around them is taken off. Once the two are alone, Wade tells Colin that they have 4 Day days until the slide, so she hopes that the others can rescue them in time.

The other sliders are forced into another camp and pushed down onto the dirt ground. A man exits a teepee close by, along with the woman from before close behind. The man asks the men who the strangers were in his language, with a young man, stating that they arrived when the war between them and the Cherokee tribe started, so they figured they would take them as hostages, in case they were hostile to their land. The woman speaks up, stating that they all look innocent to her, but again wasn’t going to trust them until they were able to prove it to the tribe. The man who exited the teepee, tells his men to place the group in a teepee, until further notice. The group is forced back up and lead to a teepee where they entered on their own, with the entrance being closed off. Joel looks to the others, stating he doesn’t speak Native American, but is starting to think that it doesn’t look good for them. Diana states that they better find a way to escape and find the others, or they all will likely die on this earth. Mallory looks to the others, questioning how indians were in control, and why there was no society. Diana suggests that Van Meers’ theory could make sense for this world, if this world is slowly developing, and it could likely be around the late 1400s to early development from the British to start the great United States. Ryan states that they are lucky to have a few days until the slide, and hopefully if they aren’t diced up, they should be able to meet up with the others and slide out. Joel states it might be a good idea to try in making contact with the natives, giving them a chance to gain allies and able to fight against an enemy they want out of their way. Mallory looks confused at Joel, asking what he meant by what he said. Joel tells the group that they do what needs to be done in order to survive. Mallory asks Joel if he was willing to give up innocent lives, so they can slide on. Joel tells Mallory that ever since he began sliding, he has hated it, and cannot wait to return home. Ryan tells Joel that he should really look at the situation, before they suddenly become warriors and get involved with a war that they might not be able to win, let alone the idea of them being on the bad side, while Wade and Colin are with the good people. Diana speaks up, stating that as long as they are rational about surviving, things should work out fine. Joel tells Diana that it was easy for her to say since he continues to feel alone in not having much experience on parallel worlds and just wishes he could slide home and not have to fear zombies, vampires or a mob chasing them for some stupid thing they did. Ryan tells Joel that they were a team and they should lean on each other when things get tough. Joel shakes his head in the no position and then just turns from the group and lays down on the ground, with the others looking at each other for something to say, but no one can say anything, with just leaving Joel alone for a while to cool down.

Later in the evening, as the sun begins to set, Wade and Colin are given some air and forced to a fire in the center of the campsite. There, they both are given tin plates with some food on it and they both begin to eat. Colin asks for water and a young girl shows up with a bucket and uses a large wooden spoon to give him some. The girl looks to Wade, with Wade asking for a drink too. A man in a dark blue suit is forced in by three natives and then tied to a tree, where the chief soon appears out from his teepee and tells the man in his native tongue that he was foolish for considering the idea of setting up shop in an area, which doesn’t belong to him; the Frenchman tries to save his life by explaining the situation, but isn’t given any sympathy. Hawkeye is seen with an ax, and aims for his chest, with him throwing it and hitting the man in the chest. Hawkeye is given two more axes and he throws one at the frenchmen’s left leg and his neck. Wade and Colin look at each other, with Wade telling Colin they better be very respectful to the natives, or they’ll make examples out of both of them and end up like the frenchman. Colin comments to Wade that he had finally figured out which side they were on and figures their friends were doing a lot better with the tribe who had them.

At the other camp, the teepee that holds the sliders is opened, with the woman seen earlier arrives, speaking in English, that she has brought them food and water. Joel asks the woman why they were captured; The woman tells Joel they don’t mean any harm, and since they got involved in the war they have going on with another tribe, her people thought of taking hostages, which she is sorry for and promises that no harm will come of them. Joel tells the woman that he would like to speak with their leader when he was free, to discuss their release. The woman seems a bit upset, with quickly placing the food and water on the ground and just walks out of the teepee, having it closed back up. Mallory looks to Joel, telling him he shouldn’t have done what he just did, because the woman might go get the leader to kill them at this very moment. Joel tells Mallory to just cool it, stating that the woman probably doesn’t like men talking to her in that tone, but feels that he isn’t going to let his guard down to just be friendly with the local natives who can’t be trusted.The woman enters the tent with the man from before, calling out to him, by the name Flies Like A Bird, stating that she has had her first run in with a rude attitude with one of the males from the group they took hostages, and now realizes why no one ever colonized the continent. Flies Like A Bird tells the woman, calling her Lakota that there are a lot of reasons the Europeans never established life in North America. Lakota states that she feels anger from the group they have in their teepee. Flies Like A Bird states that he realizes that there are others somewhere else and these people are likely threatened to lose them. Lakota states that they should have stayed in Canada where they belong. Flies Like A Bird states that everyone is allowed to be anywhere in the world, but does realize that with their limited contact with the outsiders, they do have limited minds that aren’t really open to new ways of life. Lakota states that the angry man wants to speak with him about releasing them into the wild. Flies Like A Bird states that after his meal, she could get to so called “angry man” and bring him to his tent for a chat.

A couple of hours later, The teepee which holds the sliders is opened, with the leader, Flies Like A Bird entering, also speaking in English, asking for the man who was rude to his first. Joel stands up, with the others remaining on the ground, and Joel states that he was, since it was getting really warm in the teepee and wants to be released because they didn’t do anything wrong to get captured by savages. Flies Like A Bird pulls Joel out of the teepee, with him pointing to a guard to shut the entrance to the teepee. The chief looks to Joel, telling him he is a brave man for speaking with such anger. Joel states it comes with the territory when he or his friends get captured or imprisoned for things they didn’t do. The chief tells Joel to follow him to his teepee and there things will be revealed. Once Joel enters the teepee belonging to the leader of the tribe, he is told to take a seat on a mat, which is a bear skin. The leader offers Joel coffee, but Joel tells the man to either start talking, or he would leave and return to his friends. Flies Like A Bird pours a cup for himself and takes a seat next to Joel, with telling Joel that he must not be from around here. Joel tells the chief that he, along with his friends aren’t natives, so that would have been the first clue. The chief states that he has no intention in keeping them as hostages any longer than they have to, but he feels if they can work together, his friends could be saved from a tribe that is known for murdering outsiders. Joel asks the chief what they would have to do to earn his trust. Flies Like A Bird tells Joel that he already trusts them, but if they go beyond the plans they are setting out to do, then consequences will be dealt with in a fashionable manner. Joel states that he is willing to do what he has to do to save his friends, even if it means losing his life to save two others. The chief tells Joel he is a brave man and not a coward like most of the men in his tribe. Joel tells Flies Like A Bird that being scared of evil, will only push people to turn into scared wimps, and he never plans to let his guard down, because it would be a weakness for people to use against him.

During the middle of the night, Colin awakens Wade who is sleeping peacefully and tells her that they could escape since he was able to steal an ax and cut their way out of the teepee and back into the woods to find the other tribe and make the slide. Wade whispers to Colin that they better be careful, or they might end up like the frenchman who had his throat cut when they arrived earlier in the day. Colin opens up the part of the teepee where he had cut and the two make it out quietly and walk slowly into the woods, but when one of the guards notice the two escaping, he yells out of prisoners escaping and he chases after the two. Wade and Colin manage to stay ahead of the indians, but Wade suddenly trips over a tree root sticking out of the ground. Colin returns to help Wade up, but when Wade stands, she can’t seem to run, due to a sprang and tells Colin to go on without her since she would just slow him down. Colin tells Wade that he wouldn’t leave her with such savages, but Wade pushes him, stating that she doesn’t want them both to die. Colin then agrees and takes off running into the night, leaving Wade to return to the ground. Three guards arrive, with Hawkeye picking Wade up and looking toward the others, stating that the other one wasn’t necessary to chase after since they still had a prisoner. Wade is returned to the camp and is tied up by Hawkeye, telling her that she was a fool to escape and that she wouldn’t be so lucky next time.

By the following morning, Colin soon arrives to find another tribe, but soon sees his friends with the members of the tribe, but before he can meet up with them, two male natives attack Colin and push him to the ground, Lakota quickly jogs over to the men, as do the sliders, with Lakota telling the men to let the man on the ground go. Colin is pulled back up, who is able to stand and tells the other sliders he was glad to see them. Diana heads to Colin, hugging him and asking Colin where Wade was at, but with Colin showing a sad face, she realized where Wade was. Lakota invites Colin in for some food, since he looked hungry and a place to sleep, since she could tell he was tired. Colin thanks Lakota, stating that he had been running most of the night, thinking that the natives from the other tribe were on his tail and didn’t want to take the risk of being attacked. As they return to the camp, Joel puts his arm around Colin, telling him it wasn’t his fault that Wade didn’t escape with him and that they would find another way to rescue her, before they had to leave. Colin states that Wade had tripped and spranged her ankle, leaving her vulnerable for capture again, and she shoved him to go, and he fears that Wade that will be dead by the time they find her. Ryan tells Colin not to think that way, since they’ve survived worse situations before, even when they were separated.

Wade is awakened when a native woman splashes her with a bucket of water, telling her they were moving on and that Hawkeye would be by soon to untie her and take her with them. Wade tries to reason with the woman, but she doesn’t say anything to Wade when she walks away from the tree Wade was tied up to.

At the other tribe’s campsite, as Colin is drinking coffee and having breakfast, the others are discussing plans to rescue Wade in the leaders teepee. Chief Flies Like A Bird tells the group that since he knows the chief of the tribe in question, he would move toward his tribe, since the Cherokee tribes are known for traveling around without settling down and making roots for their tribes. Joel asks if it would be possible to follow them, and when they were at their weak points, attack and save Wade before she is killed off. The chief tells Joel it might be possible, but they would have to be very careful, since they could get attacked, if they are to close. Ryan asks the chief how far the tribe would go to disappear; the man states it could be miles away from Syracuse or even out of state. Mallory states they really can’t leave the state very long, since they have a window of opportunity in a certain area that takes them off world. The chief states that they should have enough time to move and return within the time that remains before they must move on. The chief tells the sliders to speak with Lakota to get weapons to use in the rescue attack. As the group begins to walk out of the teepee, Joel asks Ryan for the timer and after Joel is given it, he heads to Diana, stopping her and telling her they needed to talk. Diana stops, with Joel telling her that she should stay behind, since he wouldn’t want anything to happen to her while they to find Wade. Diana states that even though she can’t fight well, she would want to go, in case the time ran out, and she would have to go on without them, and when she returns, she wouldn’t know the time limit and they could miss each other. Joel tells Diana that if that happened, she should just return to the place they are now and meet up. Joel places the timer in Diana’s left hand and tells her they all with return alive and slide off to the next adventure on the next world.

As the other tribe begins down a trail, Hawkeye is in the rear, dragging Wade who has rope around her wrists, pulling her along for the long walk ahead. Wade tells Hawkeye that if he cut her free, she would be willing to walk with them. Hawkeye looks back at her with a confused face, then turns around to see where he is going to continue walking down the trail. Hawkeye talks to Wade, asking her if she thought he was a fool, since he knows that if he cut her loose, she would run back to her friends and then attack them with the help from another tribe. Wade tells Hawkeye that she wouldn’t do a thing like that, since all she wants to do is rendezvous with her friends and leave this world. Hawkeye tells her that she doesn’t have such powers to travel to other worlds unless she plans to die. Wade laughs, telling Hawkeye he must be a fool himself if he didn’t know that such technology exists. Wade asks Hawkeye if he had ever seen anyone dressed like they do and on Native American land. Hawkeye states that many Canadians dress like her, and he has seen many Canadians on their land, who were also killed for trespassing on their land. Wade states that she is not from this earth, explaining that unless her meets up with her friends, she would be permanently stuck here, and if the others don’t slide out in time, they would all be stuck on this world for the next 29 years. Hawkeye tells Wade to close her mouth, or he would likely do it for her.

Chief Flies Like A Bird, along with the sliders are racing through the woods, trying to track down the tribe they are looking for. The chief tells the guys that if they are going in the right direction, it could take several hours to catch up in order to find the right tribe and her friend. Joel states that he doesn’t mind the walk, since he feels that he hasn’t gotten enough exercise after becoming a slider. The others laugh, as they continue the pursuit of Wade, continuing down a path of high grass. Flies Like A Bird seems surprised of such technology with the ability to transport people from one dimension to another. Joel states that it was the truth and even he had doubts when he was first introduced to the concept of parallel worlds. Mallory asks Flies Like A Bird if other tribes might be in the area and attack them. Flies Like A Bird states that he really isn’t sure and that they could get captured themselves, but he feels most of the territory is empty, giving them a safety zone for safe travel.

By nightfall, the tribe had found a campsite, with the teepees being put up. Wade is forced into a teepee with Hawkeye who must watch over her for the night. Wade’s hands were cut free of the rope, but Hawkeye ties up her legs, with Wade asking if she needed to use the bathroom, how would she go. Hawkeye tells her that wasn’t his problem and for her to do whatever she needed to not urinate on herself. Hawkeye exits the teepee, with Wade looking around for something to cut her rope, but realized Hawkeye wasn’t that stupid. Hawkeye returns a few seconds later with a couple tins of food and hands one to Wade. As Hawkeye sits down and begins to eat, he notices Wade staring at him, with him looking up, asking if something was wrong with the food. Wade states she hasn’t tried the food yet, since she is still wondering why he would be this cruel to her. Hawkeye tells Wade if she isn’t hungry, someone else would eat her food. Wade begins to eat her meal, telling Hawkeye he should consider coming along for the slide, since he would see a lot of different things or how different society turned out on some of the worlds they visit. Hawkeye gets frustrated with Wade’s attitude, placing his tin on the ground and pulling a knife out to place against Wade’s throat, telling her if she wants to die, she will get her wish soon enough. Hawkeye retracts the knife, with Wade apologizing to him and stating that in the future, she’ll speak when someone talks to her. After Hawkeye places the knife back in the pouch connected to his leg, he forcefully grabs Wade and begins to kiss her. Wade tries to break away, but Hawkeye’s grip is too powerful to resist. Hawkeye backs away for a few seconds before Wade goes at him as they two begin making out in the teepee on the ground.

By the following morning, the sliders are still tracking the tribe who holds Wade hostage. The chief tells the guys, as they walk, that unless they are able to retrieve Wade, they will fail, but make it to a new world awaiting their souls to live for eternity. Joel tells the chief that the rescue plan doesn’t sound so enjoyable anymore. Mallory snickers, stating that if they die and go to another world, they can just use the timer and slide on. Ryan smiles, asking Mallory if he ever considered becoming a comedian. Mallory states at a younger age he tried humor, but he never really thought of it as a career, since a lot of people either hit him or spit on him for his lame jokes. Joel turns around, looking at Mallory, telling him he should just stick to the rebel without a cause act. Colin asks the chief if he had anymore food to eat since he hates skipping breakfast. The chief states that he could eat some bark, since that never hurt anyone. Colin heads to a tree and pulls off a piece of bark; before Colin takes a bite, the chief laughs, telling Colin that he was trying out humor and tosses him some jerky, with Colin smiling and then taking a bite out of some real food.

Over at the camp, Wade awakens to find Hawkeye gone, and the rope no longer tying her legs together, so she stands up, with placing her jean jacket on and exits the teepee. Wade heads over to a fire with the temperature being so low to warm herself up. A young girl hands Wade a tin of food, with Wade thanking her and taking a seat on a log and begins eating. Hawkeye approaches Wade, taking a seat by her and kissing her with Wade backing away. Hawkeye states that he was glad that the previous night was enjoyable for the both of them and if she is up to it, she could keep traveling with his tribe. Wade tells Hawkeye that it sounds adventurous, but she needs to get back to her friends before the time runs out on the gateway off world. Hawkeye asks Wade if she rejects what had happened the night before with their souls touching each other. Wade states what she felt was different and glad that she is no longer on the hit list, but feels that a relationship would never work out due to a lot of reasons. Hawkeye asks Wade if he came along with her, would things change. Wade tells Hawkeye that if he came sliding with them, she could get to know him and maybe something would happen, but she is confused why he wouldn’t want to stay with his tribe and pursue a life to take on outsiders with strength or begin a family of his own with a woman among his tribe. Hawkeye tells Wade that if she doesn’t want him, then she must die. Hawkeye yells out to his tribe in his native tongue, stating that they would sacrifice their prisoner for a better purpose. Two large native men come and force Wade up, with dropping her tin on the ground and taken to a large tree and tied up. The chief exits his teepee with Hawkeye telling him he will do the honors of killing such evil.

The guys are getting close to the tribe they’ve been searching for with Ryan stating that he hears something like a native dance. The chief states that its the song of death in that someone is going to die. Joel tells the chief that the person is Wade and they should take action right now. The chief states that the tribe won’t kill anyone until darkness falls on them which is a rule that is followed by many tribes who kill often. Joel states that they’ll have to get closer to find Wade and with the darkness giving them some cover, they should be able to free her and escape without anyone noticing.

As darkness falls upon the area the tribe prepare for a sacrifice with a fire blazing with many people excited about the sacrifice of someone who they care little about. Wade, who is still tied to the tree watches from a far, curious to know if this would be her final slide or would her friends pop out of nowhere and save her before anything happened to her. Luckily she had the right mind, with Chief Flies Like A Bird, Joel, Ryan, Mallory and Colin arriving behind the tree. Joel tells Wade that she would be free soon enough, with Wade telling the guys that she was so glad to see them since fear had taken control of her over the coarse of the day. Colin tells Wade they would have arrived sooner, but the chief felt darkness was their only ally. With the chief cutting the rope, Wade is let loose and quickly gets behind the tree with the others, hugging Colin, stating she was glad that he made it to the others safely. Colin tells Wade that he hated himself for not bringing her along. The chief tells the two to quiet down and that they should get moving since they didn’t have time to chit chat and wait to be captured. The group soon escapes into the darkness of the woods, but as Hawkeye notices their escape, as he was coming toward the direction of the tree that was supposed to hold Wade, he yells out of an escape and begins to chase after the group with a very large axe he pulls out from a log.

The group races through the woods, but soon are stopped when three natives jump out of the bushes in front of them, stopping the group in their tracks. The three natives have bows and arrows pointed at them, with Hawkeye soon approaching the group along with a mob of natives from the tribe. Wade stands in front of the group, telling Hawkeye to let her go. Hawkeye tells Wade that if she refuses to be with him, then no other man can have her. Wade states that if she didn’t have to go, she would consider staying with him. Wade continues, explaining that she misses her family and friends too much to stay on a world that isn’t up to date on society. Hawkeye tells Wade that he could give her a future that no other man or tribe could. Wade tells Hawkeye that he can find someone else to be with who he will enjoy far more better than he would with her. Hawkeye lowers the axe, which was above his head to the ground, dropping to his knees. Wade turns around and tells the others that they should get going. The others don’t look that agreeable, but Wade leads them past the three natives who also put their weapons down on the ground.

By the following morning, as the sun begins to rise, the group returns with Diana greeting them with hugs, and telling Wade that she is glad to see all her friends alive. Wade states that she has nine lives and still has some lives left before she is gone for good. Diana smiles, pulling out the timer, stating that they slide in a couple hours, giving them some time to rest before the slide. Lakota greets Flies Like A Bird, kissing him and telling him he was missed by many, but appreciated by the tribe for being brave and go against a tribe that can be over powering to others. The chief states that it was Wade who saved their lives; Wade looks to the two, stating that after some time and getting to know Hawkeye, she realized his true problems lie within and she was able to weaken him some to defeat him and also able to save themselves before they were on the tribes dinner menu.

As the time flies by, the sliders say their goodbyes to the tribe and head out into the woods to slide to the next earth. Joel tells the others that he had realized something that had awoken up inside himself. Mallory asked Joel what he was talking about, with Joel explaining that at first he thought their mission in sliding between parallel worlds was to survive anyway possible and not make friends with locals, because those people could bring them down or kill them. Wade tells Joel that when she first began sliding with her friends, she also had doubt in the locals, but with time, she understood that each society is their own way and not everyone is friendly. As the group stops, Diana tells the others that they slide in 30 seconds, along with the fact that she also is starting to understand the big picture of sliding, but tells Joel that they can lean on each other to survive since in one way or another, they all are in the same boat with trying to just get home. Diana activates the wormhole, with the sliders entering one by one and after Wade takes one last look into the woods, she leaps in, with the portal closing.